I’m someone who loves to take what I’m doing and squeeze every possible opportunity out of it. When I was actively in production, I created a system where every time I put a house under contract, I did everything I could until closing to get one to two referrals from that client.

Why? I was already providing an amazing level or service and telling them that I wanted referrals, but most of the time I wasn’t being specific enough and didn’t know what I wanted to get. I was just hoping they would refer me.

That’s when I developed a three-step process that was highly effective in my business:

1. Expectations2. Follow-up3. Repetition

Expectations: This step would always begin during the initial buyer or seller consultation. I would explain to them how I work and tell them that I was the type of agent who pours everything I have into serving my clients. The byproduct of that is the clients I work with end up referring me to other clients so I can focus on people instead of trying to generate leads that may or may not work out. I walked them through why this benefited them as well as me. I wouldn’t ask them for a referral right then and there but told them that I would later on after I proved to them how I worked and they developed a level of comfort with me.

Follow-up: This step would happen once we went under contract. At this point, I’d make a very specific call to them and set up expectations. Follow along in the video from 2:32 to 4:23 to hear the full script I would use for these calls.

This script accomplished a couple of things. First, since they expected me to call them every Tuesday (that was my schedule), I was able to follow through on my commitment and keep my word. Second, it empowered me to call and ask them for a referral because they already knew it was coming.

"This system is both scalable and purposeful."

People don’t always have a referral at the top of their mind, but when you train them how to think and you work through the buying or selling process with them while you’re under contract, there will likely be several opportunities for a referral. This is actually the best time to get a referral from a client. After the closing, the chances of you getting a referral from them go down because then they’re focusing on other things.

Repetition: This step simply involves making that call every single week. I would update them on what was happening, ask them if they needed anything from me, and ask if they knew anyone who was moving that I could help. Usually, I’d get the referral during the second, third, or fourth call.

People understood the win-win benefit of a referral. Even if I didn’t get a referral, I’d ask them for feedback on what I should be working on. I would then ask them to keep me in mind and I’d inform them that I’d keep in touch with them.

I did this with every client I had. It’s a simple system that’s both scalable and purposeful. Thinking is everything, and if I didn’t have the intention to get a referral from them, the outcome could’ve been anything. It was a game-changer in my business. I even had my new team work with me to assist the process.

I encourage you to try this system. If you’d like a copy of my script, just let me know and I’d be glad to send you a copy.

If you have any other questions about this system, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be glad to help you.